


Side A: Ashes

by ninemelodies



Series: nexus [1]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 15:53:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21340798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninemelodies/pseuds/ninemelodies
Summary: Galo had never been one to linger on things that had already happened. Ironic that the man always focusing on the future ended up the one having nightmares about the past.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: nexus [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1538443
Comments: 2
Kudos: 140





	Side A: Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> and so bean said, "just fuck me up dude"

Galo stopped focusing on the past the day he turned 18. He had graduated a month before and spent his time bouncing between part-time jobs and sending letters to the Gov. The morning of his birthday started out with a phone call from his boss telling him that he was fired, again, and that there was no reason to report to his shift that morning. 

With his morning suddenly freed, Galo tried to sleep, but he was too antsy to sit still. He suited up for a run, and opened his door to Kray’s fist. “Oh, Gov! What brings you here?” 

“Galo.” Kray inclined his head slightly, eyes shadowed by his brows. “I know you’ve been having trouble keeping a job. I think I have one that might be perfect for you.” He fished a letter out of his pocket and handed it to Galo. “You’ll report to Ignis at Burning Rescue Station 3 tomorrow morning.” 

Hesitantly, Galo takes the letter from Kray and stared at it. Burning Rescue had been his dreams for ages, but he never considered himself good enough to actually be accepted for the job. He was brash and loud. He tended not to think and he had trouble following orders. This couldn’t be real. He looked up, making eye contact as best he could with Kray. 

It didn’t feel real, but his hero was giving him the chance to be a hero, and there was no way in hell Galo was going to disappoint him. “Yes, sir! Thank you!” 

***

The next day began Galo’s first shift at Burning Rescue. He had to learn not to rush in as fast, to depend on the people around him. He still didn’t take orders well, and he butted heads with Vulcan on Freeze Force more often than he didn’t. But, as it turns out, he was good at his job. Every quality that got him fired from other jobs - his loudness, his impulsiveness, his inability to sit still, his sense of justice - made him very good at rescuing people.

That’s why he was the one on the roof when Mad Burnish made their appearance. That’s why he was the one to capture the boss of Mad Burnish. That’s why he was the one in the pod with Lio. That’s why he was one half of the pair that rescued the world. 

He’s why Lio was still alive.

***

In the light of day, it’s easy for Galo to forget the feeling of Lio turning to ash beneath his fingers. But at night, in his dreams, it’s what he keeps returning to. 

He remembers that Lio’s ash had no smell, but it made him feel like he had to sneeze. It coated his throat and made his eyes burn. The longer Galo did CPR on Lio, the more he could feel the solid mass that was Lio give way to the pile of ash that Lio was becoming. And the dream always ended the same - Lio a pile of ash under his palms, Kray’s shadow leering over him, and the world around them burning to nothing. 

Ironic that the man always focusing on the future ended up the one having nightmares about the past. But, in his defense, he had never had someone as important to him as Lio had become. At the time he hadn’t realized it, but after they worked together to burn the Promare out of their world, Galo hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Lio. He wanted Lio to be safe and happy, more than he had ever wanted anything. His team was important, but Lio was something else. 

And so, night after night, Galo awoke with a gasp, sweat clinging to his skin, and the feeling of ash under his fingernails. And night after night, Lio was there, a solid warmth pressed against his side. When Galo would jerk awake, the movement would rouse Lio too. The first time it had happened, Galo hadn’t been able to speak without crying, but now, now Lio knew exactly what had woken him.

Lio would pull himself into a sitting position, one leg on either side of Galo’s, straddling him so that he could see Galo’s face and Galo could see his. He would press smooth palms to Galo’s cheeks and bump their foreheads together. “I’m here,” he would whisper into the silence of the room. “I’m here, and alive because of you, Galo.” And then he would take one of Galo’s hands and press it to his chest, right above his heart. 

And in the silence of the room, Lio’s heart beating a calm tempo under his fingertips, Galo would calm his breathing and his racing thoughts and realize that he was well and truly in love.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to @earlgrey-milktea for listening to me babble about this. thank you guys for reading!!! 
> 
> as always you can catch me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/GODF0RSAKEN)/[tumblr](https://ninemelodies.tumblr.com/)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [side a: ashes (the smoky nights remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21341506) by [puddingcatbeans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddingcatbeans/pseuds/puddingcatbeans)


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